Oscars 2014: Cate Blanchett wins best actress, 12 Years A Slave and Gravity claim top awards

Cate Blanchett has claimed the best actress Oscar for her performance in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, capping a stellar night for Australians that also saw costume designer Catherine Martin roar into the history books.

Harrowing drama 12 Years a Slave took out the coveted best picture Academy Award, beating fellow favourite Gravity, which swept seven awards including best director.

Blanchett defeated Hollywood heavyweights including Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock to claim the golden statuette for her portrayal of a wealthy New York socialite whose life unravels.

"Sit down, you're too old to be standing," the 44-year-old joked as she accepted the award.

"Thank you so much to the Academy. As random and as subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of extraordinary performances by women."

12 Years A Slave wins best film as Gravity director triumphs

12 Years A Slave took out the best picture prize at the climax of the ceremony, beating eight fellow nominees including space thriller Gravity and crime caper American Hustle in one of the strongest fields in years.

Director Steve McQueen paid tribute to the legacy of the character at the heart of his film.

"Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live," he said.

And the Oscar goes to ...

Best picture: 12 Years A Slave

Best actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave

Best costumes: Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby

Best production design: Catherine Martin & Beverley Dunn, The Great Gatsby

American Hustle snubbed by Academy voters

In other categories, Spike Jonze won best original screenplay for Her, which tells the story of a lonely writer (Joaquin Phoenix) who develops an unlikely relationship with an artificial intelligence operating system designed to meet his every need.

John Ridley won best adapted screenplay for 12 Years A Slave, while Italian film The Great Beauty won best foreign language film and Frozen took home the Oscar for best animated feature.

Crime caper American Hustle failed to win any awards despite its 10 nominations and a good showing in previous awards, including a Golden Globe for best comedy or musical and the top prize at the SAG awards.

The movie had been up for best picture, and had also earned nominations for director David O Russell and actors Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence.

But it came away empty-handed, matching snubs previously suffered by Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002) and Joel and Ethan Coen's 2010 remake of True Grit, which also won nothing from 10 nominations.

Only two films - The Turning Point (1977) and Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple (1985) - have suffered bigger snubs. Both films were nominated for 11 Oscars but came away empty-handed.